You're seeing the complete content of this article thanks to the person who shared this link! Subscribe to Animal Sheltering and gain access to the rest of our stories.

May 1, 2012

Show Me the Money: Animal House

A fraternity chapter raises thousands for its local shelter

By Jim Baker

A fraternity fundraiser brought in $12,000 for the Washington Humane Society. It's money the shelter can put toward important programs, as well as special TLC like the canine manicure being performed here by Gina Lantella, animal care manager, with help from former staff member and current volunteer Stacey Severe. Michelle Riley/The HSUS

Fraternities aren’t just about beer-soaked parties and barbecues on game day.

OK, some frat guys are majoring in Budweiser. But the chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., counts raising money for good causes and volunteering in the community as core values.

In recent years, the fraternity chose a national HIV/AIDS fundraising and awareness campaign to benefit from the chapter’s annual week of philanthropic events.

But last fall, Kyle Campbell, a junior from Miami, Fla., who was serving as the fraternity’s vice president of programming, wanted to pick a local nonprofit, so brothers could actually see how they were making a difference.

So the longtime animal lover—“I’ve always had a pet, ranging from a dog to a chicken”—did a little research, and discovered that the Washington Humane Society (WHS) had two shelters nearby. His brothers enthusiastically agreed to designate WHS as their new charity.

Campbell contacted the shelter to outline his plan for a series of activities during the fraternity’s Sweetheart Week, which enlists GW students—particularly those in the Greek system—to participate and fundraise for a worthy cause.